#lit analysis

Tsukishima Kei is a character who has one of the most impactful turn-arounds in the manga. Tsukishima begins as a character who isn’t particularly dedicated to volleyball. He watched his brother lose himself and lie because he gave too much to the club, and as such Tsukishima believes it's better to not become invested in volleyball because "it's just a club”. By the end of the manga, this attitude has shifted, as Tsukishima has a genuine passion for volleyball. The moment when Tsukishima really begins to shift is in chapter 163. Tsukishima manages to block Ushijima’s spike, winning a final point for Karasuno to win the second set. The panel is focused on Tsukishima pumping his fist because he was able to block the spike. The panel has no words on it which emphasizes the internal moment it was for Tsukishima. This moment had been building since the summer camp training arc where Bokuto pointed out that everyone has a moment where they become hooked on volleyball. But for Tsukishima this moment could not have happened without the direct mentorship of Kuroo. Tsukishima was only a good enough middle blocker because of what Kuroo had taught him.

This direct mentorship is emphasized throughout the manga and it's even more directly connected to Tsukishima being able to find his passion for volleyball in chapter 298. Chapter 298, aptly titled “The Guide”, further emphasizes the mentor/“guide” relationship between Kuroo (plus Bokuto) and Tsukishima. This chapter takes place during the “Dumpster Battle”, the game between Karasuno and Nekoma. Kuroo asks Tsukishima how volleyball has been for him lately. This question is followed by several panels that are flashbacks from earlier chapters of the time Tsukishima spent with Kuroo and Bokuto training, they are overlaid with Tsukishima’s speech and inner thoughts. Tsukishima says out loud, “thanks to everyone”, then thinks internally, “I mean that too. Thanks to everyone…”. The last panel focuses on Tsukishima smiling, and finishes his thought, “Once in a while…A very great while…It’s actually kind of fun”. Tsukishima credits his changing attitude towards volleyball to Kuroo and Bokuto, because they forced him to practice with them, and took the time to teach him Tsukishima and because of that he was able to block Ushijima’s spike. Typically in men’s sports there is an intense hypercompetitiveness, which can often lead to the dehumanization of rivals in the effort to “destroy” them (Colleen 2017). This attitude is further enforced by hegemonic masculinity. So naturally helping your rivals improve is not something that is done under this system of sports. Bokuto, and even more so Kuroo, subvert the typical attitudes adopted in men's sports which emphasize a lack of sportsmanship towards other teams and instead chose to assist a rival to help him improve as a player. Tsukishima is only able to have his moment as a character because of the mentors who helped him get to that level, Karasuno would not have made it anywhere had Bokuto and Kuroo refused to teach Tsukishima.

The term “genius” or “gifted” are typically used to describe kids who are extraordinarily good at activities, usually at a young age. This idea of young talent, especially in boys, is strengthened by the hegemonic masculinity which culturally expects men to be good at sports. Haikyu!!’s interpretation of “talent” and “genius” is directly mentioned in chapter 281, during the Inarazaki versus Karasuno match. Inarazaki’s captain Kita, makes a speech spanning several panels saying, “...Now there’s lots of people out there in the world you just can't measure up to, and there always will be. It’s only natural to look at them and think that they’re amazing. Personally I think the ability to press on no matter what is a talent, and I don’t think it matters what folks call people who have it. ‘Gifted’ works fine. It ain’t no insult. [New panel] But to think they’re as good as they are just because, for no reason at all, well… Folks who think that have already lost to those people without even steppin’ in the ring. [New panel] It’s rude, plain and simple”. Haikyu!! flips the typical concept of “genius” by establishing genius, not as innate but instead as a headstart on learning and a persistence to keep on learning.

This idea of headstart is further established by comparing Hinata and Kageyama through the manga. Hinata Shoyou is the main protagonist of Haikyu!!, from the beginning of the manga it is established that Hinata is not a very “gifted” player. Hinata lacked the resources to become a good player at a young age. He was physically short and he came from a public school which didn’t have a boys volleyball team, because of this Hinata did not have the opportunity to become a “genius” player. On the other hand the deuteragonist, Kageyama Tobio, is constantly referred to as a “genius” player. Kageyama grew up playing volleyball since age one, and attended a middle school with a highly respected volleyball team. Anyone who lacks resources in a given area will find it increasingly difficult to learn a skill or sport(Wilson 2002). Which is why Kageyama had such an advantage over Hinata in the beginning of the manga. However Hinata and Kageyama’s rivalry is one of the most important relationships throughout the manga, and one of the main driving forces for Hinata to keep improving. Hinata's drive to improve his own playing is central to Hinata’s character, as he is often only considered useful when paired with Kageyama because only a “genius” can use his skills properly. Hinata’s personal drive to improve, and his persistence despite his shortcomings gets him far; in chapter 400 Hinata and Kageyama face off over the net playing a division 1 volleyball game, with Karasuno's banner flying behind them. Hinata’s drive to improve and even when he loses over and over again to Kageyama is a direct opposition to the typical win-it-all attitude. That’s not to say Hinata doesn’t care if he wins or not, he does, but what Hinata values more is staying on the court the longest. Hinata values playing for the longest time, being the best player on the court or in other words personal improvement and persistence. While athletes do value personal improvement it is only to an extent. Athletes will try to improve in order to win, and not necessarily for betterment of themselves in their given sport(Colleen 2017). Hinata improves not because he wants to win, but because he genuinely loves the sport and wants to reach a level of excellence so that he can compete with the other players that are given this label of “gifted”. That attitude is in direct contradiction to the attitudes surrounding winning typically seen in men's sports.

In contrast to Hinata, and most of the characters in Haikyu!!, Kozume Kenma does not particularly care for volleyball. Kenma hates getting sweaty, and dislikes the effort he needs to put in to play. Kenma is a character whose philosophy around sports is the most directly oppositional to the typical hegemonic philosophy. Kenma does not care whether or not his team wins or loses, he plays merely because his friends play. Throughout the manga Kenma recognizes that he isn't the typical athlete. In chapter 25 when Kenma and Hinata meet for the first time, Hinata asks if he thinks it strange that he's a middle blocker (a position typically reserved for tall players), Kenma responds saying, “ I get that kind of thing [judgment], at tournaments a lot too. People look at me like, ‘Setters are supposed to be the smart guys. What’s he doing there? I mean…I’m not a gifted athlete or anything”. Kenma recognizes that there is a typical mold that male athletes are supposed to fit into, and because Kenma doesn’t he receives a lot of judgment. This idea that an athlete is supposed to be a certain way, stems from hegemonic masculinity and this belief that men should be hyper-masculine, especially men who play sports (Colleen 2017). Volleyball, the sport is often categorized as a “girly sport” because volleyball relies on team work and cooperation. Whereas hegemonic masculinity puts emphasis on individual strength and often ridicules men who have to rely on support. Similarly hegemonic attitudes have caused sport to be depicted as fun only if you can be the best at it. But that isn’t necessarily true. Kenma by the end of the manga despite not being a character who extremely loves volleyball and becomes extremely skilled in it, manages to find the fun in playing. In chapter 323, during the “Dumpster Battle”, Kenma after a long rally collapses to the floor smiling and says, “That was fun”. Kenma, despite not becoming the best player, or putting in the most effort to defeat his team's rivals, still managed to find volleyball fun. This is direct opposition to the idea that you need to win to have fun, for Kenma playing volleyball was never about winning, he played because his friends played. To him the sport was his connection to other people and how he showed his dedication to the sport did not mean he needed to become the best or most dedicated player on the court.

Examining the Evidence

in the few minutes Mr Sheppard appears, we learn very little about him:

he currently works for the school that Randy attended as a child

around thirty years ago he was Benson’s third-grade teacher at a different school

he barely remembers Benson

more significantly, we learn something critical about Benson: he fucking hates the guy.

it's worth noting here that, despite having a gun, Benson ultimately refrains from taking any action that could kill Sheppard. with his bare hands he beats him badly enough that Sheppard ultimately dies, but Benson doesn’t deliver a killing blow. his intention was not to kill.

we aren’t told what passed between them. when Randy asks, he is once again threatened.

but we have enough information that certain conclusions can be drawn: an adult male with authority over a child; a grown child who carries so much anger that he mutilates the man; Benson, later, locked in Miss Beard’s bathroom showing genuine distress for the first time in the movie.

looking at the evidence, many people concluded that Mr Sheppard sexually abused Benson as a child.  

But You Know Who Else Jumped to Conclusions?  

Randy and Benson.

for two decades, Randy has lived with the assumption he effectively ended Miss Beard’s life. this isn’t a conclusion that he reached from nothing: last he heard, her whole life was falling apart.

but this turns out to be wrong. Miss Beard went through a difficult time, but ultimately rediscovered herself and is now happy. she has her job back. she has a daughter, who she loves and who clearly loves her. when she sees Randy, rather than despise him as he expects, she’s happy to see him.

despite the evidence, Randy was wrong.

Benson is even more brazen, drawing damning conclusions based on less. based on nothing more than the fact that Marsha works at a diner (not unlike himself, until a few hours ago), Benson concludes that Marsha has wasted her life. I think it’s safe to say that there is some projection going on here, but this doesn’t matter to Benson: as far as he’s concerned, Marsha has no deeper thoughts and is destined to forget what he said as soon as it’s over.

despite his conviction, Marsha confronts him, disproving Benson’s entire philosophy: no one will take action.

But It Isn’t Just the Characters Playing With Expectations

the story itself regularly misleads the viewers, planting evidence in favour of one conclusion only to reveal something completely different.

I mean, who saw Randy’s backstory coming?

another example is Randy’s mother. like many people, I at first saw how overbearing she was and concluded that she was abusing Randy. I assumed that the reason why he lacked initiative was because she’d been so overbearing, micromanaging his entire life and denying him input.

this is proven wrong twice: the first time, immediately after she calls to check in with Randy, when he explains the real reason for his lack of initiative. no doubt Ms Bradley’s overbearing response to his trauma made his existing problems worse, but she certainly wasn’t the cause.

the second time is at the end, when he starts to gain independence and confidence. rather than double down on her micromanaging, she instead accepts that her son is changing for the better, even if it’s taking her some time to get used to.  

Interlude 1: Randy’s Mother

I will point out here that in a story that looks at, among other things, taking initiative vs being a passive witness to one’s own life, Ms Bradley has done nothing but take matters into her own hands. look at it from her perspective: her son went from being ordinary and happy, to being too afraid to make his own choices. like any good mother, she felt that she needed to step in. she took the risk of doing the wrong thing, and did – clearly, over-managing Randy was not the best choice, and probably did more harm than good. but judging by her willingness to step back once he starts to take control of his life, it’s clear that it was an error of judgement in a terrible situation, rather than a deliberate act of sabotage.

Interlude 2: Silence of Trauma

there is a line of thought that trauma is the unspeakable: something that can’t be articulated because the experience is too terrible to put into words. it is so terrible that its mere existence destroys what we know about how the world works.

in a movie where we see the graphic murder of Benson’s colleagues, his beatdown of Mr Sheppard, his physical abuse of Randy, and his shooting Randy and Marsha, the silence around his relationship with Mr Sheppard invites the question of what could have possibly happened between them that makes it unspeakable? what is it about their dynamic that isn’t present anywhere else?

one interpretation is that there is a sexual element, which is missing from the rest of the violence.

this assumption in itself raises a number of questions – is sexual violence inherently more unknowable than other types of violence?

I don’t think so, and I think the rest of the movie disagrees with this premise.

when comparing Randy’s trauma (explicit; known; something that he is able to put to words) vs Benson (implied; unknown; never articulated), it’s important to remember that Randy was only able to do so at gunpoint – against his will, in a traumatic situation where his life was in danger unless he gave Benson what he wanted.

the act of articulating is a violation: Benson drags something personal from Randy, then emphasises Randy’s powerlessness by mocking him. everything Randy told Benson is then used as inspiration to further subjugate Randy.

part of what makes trauma so difficult to discuss is the scope. no explanation of the traumatic events can live up to the traumatic experience.

when Benson forces Randy, this isn’t an example of Randy taking control of his narrative and finding a way to slot his trauma into his own personal experience of being alive. the disconnect between the life he should live and this aberration is blown up: an outsider has witnessed Randy’s trauma, and finds it hilarious. and so much of comedy is rooted in a deviation from expectations.

I would also like to point out that Benson’s silence around Mr Sheppard isn’t unique. other places where we're met with silence:

meeting Benson’s mother. although we see the woman, we’re given many contradictory facts. he cares for her, but there's tension between them. she’s unwell, but we have no idea why. this part of Benson’s life remains as opaque as the rest of him. when Randy reaches for the phone, Benson is there and ready to respond with violence; his mother seems unsurprised, and unbothered. while Benson doesn’t want her to know what just happened at the burger joint, he seems unthreatened by her seeing blood on Randy. all of this tells us a lot about their relationship – namely that it’s weird, and that whatever is going on between them is complicated and unsettling.

in Miss Beard’s living room, despite having told his story to Benson, Randy is unable to explain himself. she was there, and already knows the story; he wouldn’t have had to repeat to Miss Beard what he told Benson in the car. instead, he would have had to explain the experience from within: his own feelings at the time, afterwards, and now at present. and he’s unable to do this.

(Miss Beard, meanwhile, is capable of talking about her experience: how it affected her, and what her life’s like now.)

when Randy calls the police, he’s unable to explain anything about his problem. we've followed these two guys for the past hour and a half; we know everything that happened. there is, critically, no narrative benefit to the viewer for Randy not to be able to explain himself. yet already, the experience has joined his childhood trauma as something that he cannot discuss.

all of which is to say that Benson is hardly alone in not being able to talk about it.

So If Not CSA, Then What?

as in real life, there are many other ways that someone – particularly someone in a position of authority – could hurt a child.

Benson’s father was abusive; he reached out to Mr Sheppard, who either disbelieved him or deliberately chose the path of least resistance (inaction), leaving Benson and his mother to fend for themselves.

Benson was bullied in school, and similarly, Mr Sheppard chose inaction rather than using his authority to protect Benson.

(as suggested by my husband) Mr Sheppard and Benson’s mother had an affair; Benson discovered this after coming home from the zoo and catching them in the act.

Mr Sheppard and Benson’s father had an affair, resulting in Benson’s father eventually leaving.

Benson’s mother is sexually abusing him. when he tries to tell a respected adult, Mr Sheppard disbelieves him and belittles him for it.

Benson’s parents were going through a divorce. because of the stress, Benson’s performance in school suffers and he begins to act out. Mr Sheppard raises his concerns with Benson’s family, shortly before Benson’s father walks out on them. being a child, Benson wrongly concludes that his father left because he was a bad child, and, if not for Mr Sheppard’s involvement, would still be with them.

Benson went to the zoo and was abandoned by the class in the giraffe exhibit, where he was accidentally locked in overnight. no one noticed, and Mr Sheppard swore him to secrecy so that he wouldn’t lose his job for forgetting a student.

I don’t think that any one of these explanations is more likely than sexual abuse; only that each one is as likely. many would match the tone or the themes of the movie, especially considered alongside Randy’s trauma.

I only bring up alternative explanations to illustrate a specific point: what we know of Benson’s past is limited, and the options remain open and generally endless.

So What?

when I first watched this movie, I was bothered from a storytelling perspective by the fact that we don’t know Benson’s past. the only thing we know about Benson’s motivations are what he told us, however you choose to interpret that. it felt like something was missing.

this, I believe, is the point.

the most significant difference between Benson and Randy is that Benson has a gun and Randy doesn’t. Benson can force Randy to do whatever he wants – an advantage that he takes repeatedly. and after cleaning up his mess at the burger joint, after kidnapping Randy, what does Benson use this new power for? to get Randy’s story.

the greatest proof of Benson’s power is his silence.

but despite spending most of the movie at a profound disadvantage, by the end it’s Randy who has benefitted. despite the violation, the humiliation, the trauma, the gunshot to the shoulder – Randy walks away with every benefit.

this doesn’t lessens his trauma. the contradiction between the horror of Randy’s experience vs the benefit is what makes the story so compelling.